Celebrations!

We have a two-year-old around here now!  We celebrated with a purple party a couple of weeks ago.  Here are a few pictures of the day.

What's not to enjoy about our two-year-old girl?  Yes, our little Charlotte, or Lovie as I usually call her, is a bubbly, happy, stubborn, sweet girl.  She loves to do what Forrest does, she loves to say "no," and she loves mischief.  We're so glad to have her!

A few pictures from our Christmas celebration last week.  It was a different kind of day than usual.  Lucy was born about a month ago, so Kati and Ryan stayed in Arizona, and Shaun and Bill were in Michigan.  We had a nice time despite the missing faces.

Three Months

Jonathan is three months old, and by my definition, no longer a newborn.  Hooray!  Things are going well.  He's a happy boy with lots of smiles.  He's growing quickly, already wearing 6-9 month clothing!  It seems this is what my babies do, get big, fast! 

Two Months

Jonathan turned two months old a few days ago and was quite happy to smile for his picture.  He's usually easily convinced to smile.  What a sweet baby boy we have!  Over the past month, he's become more aware of the world around him.  He enjoys watching his family and likes sitting in his swing to watch the action.  He's also started sleeping in his bed more often.  Hooray!

On to month three.  Tomorrow he will have his first big outing to Poppy and Gigi's for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner.  Wish us luck in the car!

One Month

Okay, baby number three, and I'm only just over a week late writing about his first month.  Not bad!

Our little J. Scott has been so similar to my other two in some ways and so different in others.  Following in his siblings' footsteps, he's not interested in sleeping unless being held.  Good thing I love baby carriers so much.  He loves to eat and has moved from the 50th percentile in weight to the 74th.  We love big babies around here!  A nice difference has been the absence of tummy troubles (causing lots of crying).  He's been quite peaceful. 

Right now, Jonathan loves his mama the best but will give smiles to others and is starting to make a few little sounds.  We are enjoying him and looking forward to growth and learning in the weeks to come. 

Hello, Jonathan Scott!

Jonathan Scott arrived about two weeks ago, and we've been enjoying newborn life once again in our family.  We are so blessed with a healthy little boy, weighing 8lbs, 5oz and measuring 20 inches at birth.  We are all adjusting and are so glad he's here!

Five Years Old!

The past couple of days have been spent celebrating Forrest's fifth birthday.  Yes, my first little baby is growing all the time!

In past years, we have always had family parties, which have been great (especially since Mom has done most of the work for them!).  Since beginning school, Forrest has attended a few friend parties, so I gave him the option of having one of his own.  Yes, I really was thinking he would still choose a family party.  Nope.  So, Saturday morning we hosted about eight friends for a donut-themed gathering, including donuts to eat and a donut pinata.  Side note, if $40 seems like too much to pay for a pinata, it's not.  Just go ahead and buy it because paper mache and hours spent decorating one of these things is no joke!  While the party was a little willy-nilly for me, the kids did seem to have fun.  

Yesterday, Mom and Dad made the drive down to deliver some gifts and spend time.  They're always welcome guests.  Then today, Joshua and Forrest drove south of St. Louis for the much-anticipated birthday eclipse.  They had great weather and a fun time.  I'm waiting for them to return home now; traffic back north following the event seems to be rough.

Yes, we have certainly celebrated our favorite five-year-old!  We love you Forrest!

A Few More Wisconsin Memories

Joshua and Forrest are just finishing up their man trip to Wisconsin.  They had a great time!

While Joshua, Forrest, and Mark have been vacationing, Charlotte and I have been hard at work.  This week, she transitioned out of the Pack n Play and into her twin mattress.  She's doing well!  I've spent my quiet moments working on a donut pinata for Forrest's upcoming 5th birthday party.  The next time $40 seems like too much to spend on a pinata, I should go ahead and remember what a time-consuming mess making one is.  It's an ongoing labor of love for sure.  

Summer is Rolling Along

Here it is the end of June already!  How the weeks fly by when the weather is nice and we are busy enjoying it.  During the past couple of weeks, we made it to Wisconsin for our first family vacation of the season.  The weather was perfect, and we managed to miss some very hot temperatures in Illinois!

We had a great time, as always, and are looking forward to returning in July.  Missing the noise of the Heart of Illinois Fair in our backyard is much needed.

Since our return from vacation, Charlotte turned 18 months old.  What a big girl!  She's doing everything she can to keep up with Forrest and often is successful.  She brings such joy to our lives with her frequent smiles, slowly expanding vocabulary, and pleasant nature.  She is certainly more of a toddler now than a baby.  Milestones from the past six months include first haircut at 13 months (and another one since), walking at nearly 15 months, and wearing undies all day while at home - not potty trained, but practicing cheerfully.  

Ready for more summer fun and prepping for baby boy in early September!